A/N: Alrighty! So, this idea has been bouncing around in my head for about a month now, and I took about three weeks working it all out and such, with some help from a very close friend of mine, and then the fourth week I spent writing the first chapter.

I thought it'd be really interesting to write about what would happen if Merlin and Morgana were forced to go on some kind of journey together during their third series hate relationship - but, of course, as the summary suggests, this will be eventual MerlinxMorgana. Not very heavy MerlinxMorgana, but it'll still be present.

So... I hope you enjoy! ^^

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin or any of its characters. If I did, Arthur would have found out about Merlin's magic by now.

Chapter One

The woods were silent as the prince's bright blue eyes locked on their unsuspecting target. He lifted his crossbow to take aim, closing his right aim and holding his breath. He slowly moved his finger to the trigger and with one quick twitch, sent the arrow rocketing through the air. His bated breath was finally released when the arrow pierced into the animal's side, causing a wide smile to break out across the prince's face.

"Ha!" he shouted, rising out of his crouched position. "Did you see that, Merlin? That's how it's done!"

Arthur's young manservant came out from behind the tree that he had been told to hide behind, his eyes moving over to observe the dead animal. He almost smirked.

"Congratulations, my lord, you killed a rabbit," Merlin teased, walking over to where Arthur stood. The prince gave his servant a stern look as he traded his crossbow back with his sword, which Merlin had been holding.

"Are you trying to say something, Merlin?" Arthur asked, sliding his sword into his belt. Merlin shook his head.

"No, no, Sire, of course not."

With suspicion in his eyes, Arthur began walking towards where the rabbit's body lay.

"It's just that… I've seen better," Merlin commented, following his master.

"Merlin," Arthur said, turning to face the young man. Merlin's eyebrows rose. "Shut up," Arthur told him. Merlin smirked but nodded, and Arthur turned back around. "Besides, anything I shoot down is better than what you'd ever even try to. Even a rabbit like this one here."

Merlin's smirk vanished when he heard a nearby bush rustle. Arthur didn't seem notice as he knelt down to make completely sure that the rabbit was indeed dead. Merlin tensed up as he heard another rustle of leaves, and then everything was quiet again. The young warlock was completely still, but jumped when a group of men, all dressed in browns and blacks, came out of bushes and from behind trees, rushing towards the prince and his servant. Arthur reacted instantly, yanking the arrow out of the rabbit's body and throwing it straight into the heart of one of the pursuing men. He fell with a yelp while Arthur quickly drew his sword and Merlin tightened his grip on the crossbow.

They were hopelessly outnumbered nine to two, but they fought anyway.

Arthur's sword clashed with others as he was constantly turning in circles, and Merlin used the crossbow as some kind of club, swinging it into men's faces and stomachs.

When the fifth man fell, Arthur's shoulder was sliced open. He cried out in slight pain but tried to ignore it the best he could. But when he was blocking a blow from one man, another came up behind him, raising his sword above his head. Merlin slammed the crossbow into another man's face, instantly knocking him into unconsciousness, before looking over at Arthur's predicament. He focused his energy on the man behind his master, narrowing his eyes.

"Gwthiwch ef drwy'r awyr," he muttered, his eyes flashing gold. Just as Arthur slashed down his opponent, the man behind him was flung backwards through the air and crashed against a nearby tree. Merlin smirked to himself before whacking the crossbow into another man's face. The last three men who still held control over their consciousness fled from the spot, leaving their dead and/or unconscious mates behind them.

"Yeah! Don't ever show your faces around here again!" Merlin shouted after the,. He smiled up until he heard a groan come from behind him.

"Merlin, honestly, if they never do come back, it's not because of anything you did," Arthur told him. He was clutching his left shoulder with his right hand, and Merlin could see the look of pain on the prince's face.

"We need to get you back to see Gaius before that wound becomes infected," Merlin told him, walking over to where the prince stood. He picked up the sword that Arthur had dropped after the fight had been won and slid it into the prince's belt for him.

"It's not" – he winced – "that bad," Arthur argued, clutching his shoulder tighter. Merlin rolled his eyes.

"Now is not the time to be a stubborn prat," the young warlock told the prince. "So please try to contain it."

As they walked off back towards Camelot, neither noticed the small red stone on the ground. It emitted a faint red glow as the two men walked away, and little streaks of red lightning skipped across its surface as Merlin secretly used magic to mend a tear in his jacket. The lightning disappeared as Merlin's use of magic ceased, but the red glow remained, slowly blinking on and off.

Arthur downed the tonic in one quick swig, smacking his lips a couple times because of the strange taste. Despite the bitterness on his tongue, he almost immediately felt relief from the burning in his shoulder. Whatever salve Gaius had rubbed onto the wound had only worsened the pain, though the elder had said it would help the wound heal quicker.

"Has the pain decreased?" Gaius asked, readying some bandages. Merlin was mixing another salve for Gaius to spread onto the wound as well. Arthur hoped it wouldn't sting as much as the previous one had.

"Yes, much," the prince answered, keeping his eyes on the thick brownish liquid slopping around in the bowl in Merlin's hand. "Uh, Gaius… you've already put a salve on, is a second one really necessary?"

"Oh, the first salve was applied to protect against infection and help the wound heal faster," the physician informed him. "This second salve is just to help the bandages stay secure a little better."

"And will it sting like the other did?" Arthur asked as Merlin set the bowl down on the table next to Gaius. The brown substance in the bowl differed greatly from the yellowish color of the first salve, and Arthur was grateful that he would have bandages covering his skin once the two were mixed on his shoulder.

"No, it shouldn't," Gaius reassured him. "And even if it did, you wouldn't feel much of anything. That tonic I just gave you should keep your shoulder a bit numb for the next couple of hours." He reached over and picked up the bowl from the table before pushing himself to his feet. He walked the few paces over to Arthur and dipped the tips of his fingers into the salve. The prince looked over at his servant, who was holding the ready bandages for Gaius' easy use. Gaius gently began rubbing the salve onto Arthur's shoulder, and Arthur cringed slightly at the coldness against his exposed skin, but quickly got used to it.

Only a few minutes later, Arthur's shoulder was completely bandaged and Gaius was washing his hands off. Merlin was helping Arthur carefully slip his blue tunic back on over the bandages.

"The wound should be just a scab in about a week, and completely healed in two," Gaius stated, drying his hands. "If it gives you any trouble, you know where to find me. It shouldn't give you too much, though."

"Thank you, Gaius," Arthur replied, wincing slightly as he stood up from the stool he had been sitting on for the past half an hour.

Just then, a knock on the door echoed through the room. All three men looked in the door's direction as Gaius called, "Come in." Sir Leon poked his upper body into the room, bowing his head slightly in Arthur's direction.

"The King has gathered the Royal Court in the throne room," the Knight announced, his gaze moving over each of the men. "You have been requested to attend. Arthur, you are also expected."

"Of course," Gaius responded. Sir Leon dipped his head at Arthur again before leaving the room.

"We should be going, then," Arthur stated, grabbing his leather jacket and starting towards the door. Merlin began following after him, sliding Arthur's leather jacket onto his arms carefully.

"I'll be there shortly," Gaius called after them and they exited the room.

"Do you think it's something bad?" Merlin asked as he and his master walked down one of the many long corridors of the castle.

"Is it ever something good?" Arthur retorted sarcastically.

"Good point," Merlin snickered quietly.

Two guards opened the large doors to the throne room, and Merlin and Arthur began the long walk down the wooden floor. King Uther sat on the large throne at the head of the room, two smaller thrones on either side of his. The Lady Morgana sat in the throne on the King's left, and the throne on his right remained empty, awaiting the arrival of the prince. The area in front of the stairs that lead up to the throne's landing was crowded with other members of the Court, including the highest ranked of the Knights. Merlin went to stand to the side by Guinevere, Morgana's maid, while Arthur strode up to his throne.

"Ah, Arthur, there you are," Uther greeted him.

"What is this about, father?" Arthur asked, taking his seat. "Has something happened?"

"Magic is at work against us yet again," the King hissed, his eyes narrowed in anger. "A woman came crying for help, and I said I would hear her once my Court was gathered."

Gaius slowly made his way towards the crowd, and when he was seen by Uther, the King stood and raised both of his arms. The chatter that had been whispering about came to a cease almost instantly, and Gaius took his place next to Merlin. Uther returned his arms to his sides and every head bowed in his direction simultaneously.

"I'm afraid we may be under a magical attack yet again," Uther announced. Merlin flipped his eyes over to rest on Morgana, and she returned his gaze. A cold stare was shared between them, until Morgana sneered unnoticeably at him and turned her attention back to the King. Merlin's eyes narrowed in her direction. "A woman from one of the outlying villages has pleaded for an audience with me because of something she believes to be associated with magic; I will hear her now."

On cue, a ragged looking woman in a worn dress that dragged along the smooth wooden floor walked out in front of the King, the crowd parting for her since two guards walked on either side of her. Her face was pale and tired, with purple circles under her deep blue eyes. Her light brown hair was worn back in a messy low ponytail threatening to come undone at any moment, and it bordered her round, fearful face. Her hands were shaking where she held them together in front of her stomach, and her cheeks were stained by tears.

"My lord," she whispered, barely loud enough for even the guards at her sides to hear. She gave a shaky curtsy and a bow of her head as Uther sat back down on his throne, resting his left elbow on the armrest and his chin in his hand. The woman looked back up at the King, a fresh tear beginning to worm its way down her cheek.

"It was the most horrifying thing," she began, and Merlin could tell that she was straining to merely project her meek voice loud enough. "My husband and I… Our village is very poor, and our crops have not been growing very well. My husband and I volunteered to venture to Camelot for help, and on our way here… we took a trail through the woods, Sire, and there was something small on the ground, just off the side of the trail. It was blinking a red color, on and off, on and off, on and off-" She choked up, grabbing at her chest as new tears began to slowly fall. Merlin saw both Uther and Morgana perk up in interest at where this woman's story was going, but Arthur remained laid back in his throne, his face resting in the palm of his hand. "My husband went to pick it up; I warned him that it could be dangerous, but he refused to listen. As soon as he touched it, my lord…" She choked up yet again, this time grabbing at her throat.

"Speak up," Uther ordered, looking about to get to his feet again. The woman looked fearfully up at the King, tears now running down her cheeks.

"It was a red stone, my lord," she stated, her lip quivering. "A small, red stone. And as soon as he touched it… it struck him down, Sire." A gasp washed over the entire crowd, and murmurs began to be heard. "It was some kind of lightning, Sire," the woman continued, her hand still on her throat. "Red lightning erupted from the stone… and killed my husband!" She threw both hands up to her face and began sobbing, falling to her knees. This was when Arthur sat up straighter and his face became much more serious.

"It must be destroyed," Uther announced, looking down at the crying woman. "Arthur, take some Knights and go destroy this… stone."

"Of course, father," Arthur responded, pushing himself to his feet.

"Don't take too many Knights, though," Uther warned. "Bandits roam these woods like a plague – we can't afford to lose too many of our men." Arthur held back a small grimace and nodded, making his way down the stairs. Morgana also got to her feet, watching Arthur and all of the present Knights stride down the hall. Merlin watched her carefully as her turquoise-green eyes bore into Arthur's back before turning and following the prince out of the throne room.

Morgana's eyes narrowed slightly as she watched the group of men exit the throne room, the sound of the woman's sobs echoing in the suddenly tense air. Attempting to keep in her former character, she stepped down the stairs and kneeled down next to the woman, placing her hand gently on the woman's back.

"Your loyalty will not go unrewarded," Uther told the woman, sitting back down in his throne, his face now looking stressed. "I am deeply sorry for your loss, but I will make sure that your village is fed and fed well. You need not worry about your crops."

The woman looked up at the King when he said this, tried to say her thanks, but broke back into tears. Morgana helped her to her feet and the guards escorted her out of the throne room. Morgana watched them go, but turned when the King addressed her, noticing that the rest of the Court had left as well.

"Do not worry, Morgana, Arthur will find and destroy the stone," Uther told her. Morgana bit back the acid she felt rise in her throat and instead smiled.

"I'm not worried about the stone or Arthur, my lord," she stated. "What I am worried about is that poor woman…"

"She'll be fine," Uther dismissed, looking out one of the many large windows along one side of the room. "You need not worry about her either. How about you and I do something today, to take both our minds off of these events?"

Morgana smiled again. "As much as I would love to, my lord, I actually have much to do today. Perhaps another time?"

Uther grinned and nodded. "Of course."

Morgana gave him a slight nod of her head before turning and walking down the hall towards the doors. Her smile twisted into a scowl as she walked, but she held her head up high and her shoulders back so she still looked like a dignified Lady.

Whatever this stone was, she knew that it could be of some use to her and her sister, and she planned on retrieving it no matter what.

A/N: I was conflicted with whether or not I wanted to kill off the woman's husband or just a friend of hers... idk, I feel mean killing off some random character's husband. XD;;

I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! Reviews are love, people, really! They're what inspire me to write more, and faster! ;)

(( Claire ))